Birds In A Dark Cage
by ecrivaisseur
Summary: SwanQueen. Instead of turning Emma into the Dark One at the end of 4B, the darkness opened a portal to the Underworld, one that sucked Regina, Emma and Mary Margaret into it. Trapped in a hell, forced to face the haunting people of their pasts, and trying to find a way to get back home, Regina and Emma begin to grow closer in a way they haven't before. Endgame: SwanQueen.
1. Welcome To Hell

**This is my first SwanQueen fanfic, so bear with me. Of course, Regina, Emma and Mary Margaret will be at the forefront, though expect a lot of Cora, too. Chapter lengths will vary.**

Chapter One

Welcome To Hell

 _*Starts off at the very end of Operation Mongoose, Pt. 2, just before the darkness attacks Regina*_

"Well where the hell is it?" Regina demanded aloud to the group, looking around for the flying, inky cloud of Dark One darkness, just like they were. Only a few moments ago, the darkness that had been tethered to Rumplestiltskin's heart had been removed by the Sorcerer's Apprentice and trapped inside the hat. However, something had gone wrong and, instead, it flew out of the magical object, had overpowered the Apprentice, and had then escaped from Rumplestiltskin's shop and out into the open, where it now lurked about in hiding.

"We don't know," David explained, wrapping a protective arm around Mary Margaret, who looked concernedly at Regina and Emma.

Silence filled the cold, frosty air as their eyes darted about the empty streets of Storybrooke in vain attempts to find the hidden monster. It appeared that no one but the six of them - Emma, Regina, Robin, Hook, Snow and Charming - was out that night, probably all down at Granny's celebrating their recent defeat of the Queens of Darkness, and Rumplestiltskin's curse. It was probably a good thing they weren't out, too. That darkness would prey on anybody it could find. _It would consume any soul it could._

Suddenly, Emma's voice broke the silence. "It hasn't gone anywhere." The woman said to everyone. She could _feel_ the darkness's presence. It was close.

Not a second later, a streak of flashing black struck down from the sky, like lightening, aimed directly at Regina. Immediately, she was sucked into the swirling vortex of darkness, pulling her away from everyone else as it slowly began to rip away the light inside of her. Regina was numb to stop it; she could feel it eating away at her soul. She felt the light start to snuff out, as darkness crept it's way inside her heart.

"Regina - No!" Emma, Snow and Robin both screamed in sequence, with Robin lurching forward to try and rescue her, though he was thrown back into a nearby building with force, crashing into a window.

Emma could quickly see Regina's life escaping from her, as the darkness started to fill her soul with rapid pace. She had to do something. She couldn't just stand there and watch. "Regina, I'm coming for you!"

With the dagger in her hands, outstretched and ready to strike, Emma charged at the swirling evilness around Regina and crashed into it.

"Emma!" Snow shouted, and, her motherly-instincts kicking in, she ran after her daughter, trying to protect her. David screamed after both of them, but Snow ignored him, instead focusing on her daughter.

As the blade of the dagger collided with the darkness, a loud burst shattered through the air, and Regina was flown out of the darkness and onto the concrete near Emma and Snow. Thinking that the darkness was surely coming for her next, Emma held the dagger up in the air, ready for the attack, before watching as it, instead of coming for her, shot down into the ground. The concrete splintered into thousands of pieces, shaking the ground, creating a large hole between the three of them.

The shaking didn't cease, only increasing, as the hole grew wider and wider. Regina pushed herself up off the ground and onto her feet, just in time to see the hole start glowing a dark grey color, before, within a flash, Emma, Snow and herself were sucked into the hole, vanishing instantly.

* * *

"Regina, Regina, wake up" muttered a worried, hurried voice that the reformed Evil Queen easily recognized. "Oh, please don't be dead. . ."

Regina's eyes fluttered open, awake from the fall, as she could feel someone's cold hands shaking her body with great fever. She looked up to see the face of Mary Margaret looming close to her face, on her knees, with her eyes wide and her mouth gaped open. She wore a pale complexion across her face, one befitting of her birth name. The woman let out a heavy sigh as Regina woke up.

"Oh, thank heavens," Snow whispered in relief, falling back slightly on her knees, "She's alive. Emma she's alive!"

"Of course I'm alive," Regina said groggily.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Snow asked, waving three of her fingers annoyingly close to Regina's eyes.

"Three, now get that out of my face," Regina pushed away Snow hands and started to sit up from the icy ground she was laying on. She was okay, save for a slight discomfort she could feel at the back of head. "I'm fine, it's just-" she was interrupted by the sharp and biting agony she instantly felt as sat up fully, the pain from the back of her head suddenly intensifying times a hundred and sending shivers of pain throughout her body, causing her to let out a shuddering growl of torture. She moved an icy hand to behind her head, trying to feel the site of the pain. Cold, thick blood greeted her touch.

"What is it, Regina?" Snow asked, looking at the back of Regina's head where her hand was. "What's wrong?"

"What happened? Is she hurt?" another voice Regina recognized said. It was Emma Swan, and she was coming from somewhere off in the distance. Her shoes clicked against the ground as she ran up to them. Regina could barely see her; her head was pounding from the pain, and her eyes were growing fuzzy and foggy, before they suddenly and mysteriously regained vision. Emma was now right beside her, her hand gently on Regina's shoulder, and looking with Snow at her head.

"Oh my goodness!" Snow cried at the gash she saw stretched across towards the top of Regina's skull. It was furrowed between her dark locks of hair, but she could still see it, even through the padded blood. "That looks terrible."

"It's nothing," Regina said, before she cried out again due to the pain, completely negating her previous words, "Okay well maybe it _is_ something. It's from the fall," she paused for a moment, quickly remembering what had just happened: the darkness and the portal that had sucked them through. "Speaking of which, where the hell did we end up? What land our we in now."

Emma and Snow were silent. "Hopefully it's at least a nice realm," Regina added.

"I don't think this is any land we want to be in," Emma said, helping Regina up off the ground, "Take a look around."

Regina looked up at the sight before her. It was Storybrooke, Maine . . . well, a much darker, run-down, decimated version. It seemed as if her beloved town now lay before her in complete and utter ruins: the streets were cracked; cars were crashed into each other and buildings and, were either on fire or had been; the shattered lampposts were flickering; the shops and storefronts were broken in to; there were skeletons and burnt bodies dispersed about; and the beloved clock tower now laid, murdered, in two pieces scattered across the ground like it had been pushed.

"What is this place," Snow asked, "It can't be Storybrooke."

Regina's gazed moved up to the sky above them: swirling ebony clouds in various shades of black and grey completely covered the sky, casting a blanket of darkness over everything they could see. Even the air seemed to have a darkness, an heaviness, about it. She could also smell the scent of a fire somewhere, of a burning aroma, yet the temperature was cold and frigid.

Suddenly, Regina turned grim, as it all made sense. The destroyed town, the coldness, the fire, the darkness. . . She knew exactly where they were. It could only be one thing.

"No, this sin't Storybrooke," she said, solemnly, "I know what this place is."

"You do?" Emma asked, surprised. "You know where we are?"

"What is it? Where are we?" Snow followed along.

Regina took a step forward. "We're in the Underworld. _Welcome to Hell_."


	2. Queen of The Underworld

Chapter Two

Queen of The Underworld

"T-The Underworld?" Snow White stuttered, gravely, her completion fading even whiter, "H-how do you know that's where we are?"

"Because I have had dealings with the dead before. I've almost been sent here a few times, myself, so trust me, there's no where else this place could be. We are in the Underworld." Regina nudged the edges of her jacket closer together, freezing from the cold, and trying to ignore the constant pain shooting from the back of her head. Usually, she'd just use her magic to make the injury disappear, but she knew full well that there was no such thing as magic in the Underworld. This hell was a place beyond magic.

She'd have to deal with her injury later.

"But, I don't see any dead people," Emma commented, pointing out how they were the only ones out on the street. She didn't like it - as if being in the Underworld wasn't bad enough, they were alone and it was silent out. And from her experience, she knew that nothing good every came from mere silence.

"Oh, don't worry," Regina reassured, taking another step forward and looking at the blood at the tips of her fingers, "They'll come out eventually. Once they smell the scent of the living, then they'll start to emerge from the shadows."

"Then I guess I'll take your word for it."

Suddenly, Snow uttered a whimper. "Where's everyone else! Charming, Robin, Hook? What happened to them? They were there with us, so why aren't they here, too." She was worried about her husband.

Emma continued to look around uneasily. "I've been looking around. It seems like the portal only took us three with it."

"We've got to find a way back. They'll be worried sick about us - "

"That's the least of our problems, right now," Regina interrupted, "We should be more worried about who we might run into down here. Every villain that's ever been killed is somewhere around here. They might even be watching us right now, and I'm sure there's plenty of people down here who will be thrilled to see me."

Snow let out a loud gulp. "You mean we might see - " she started, before Regina stopped her again.

"Don't say their names. We don't want to summon them or anything."

"We need to find a shelter of some kind. There has to be somewhere around here that we can camp out for the time being," Emma started, reaching for her gun in her back pocket for protection, before she realized she had left it back at the police station. Foolishly. "Shit," she muttered, "I don't have my gun."

"It wouldn't do much good down here, anyways. They're already dead," Regina looked at Emma, "And we don't have our magic, either."

"So we're defenseless?" Snow asked. The whole idea of being trapped here, in The Underworld, terrified her, though she quickly realized that she would have to do something. All three of them would have to do something, if they ever want to get back to their loved ones. If they wanted to get back to Storybrooke, they'd have to find a way.

And that's when she saw it: out of the corner of her eyes, while Regina and Emma were contemplating where to find a shelter, Snow saw, laced in the grip of a skeleton lying against a lamppost, a rusty and grimy, though still usable, bow and a satchel of arrows. "Wait," she said, getting their attention, "I think I found something that we could use." She ran over to the bow, yanked it out of the skeleton's grasp, and slipped it on. She picked up an arrow and tested the bow. It worked.

"Now we're not entirely defenseless," she said, "It may not be as good as magic or a gun, but it'll work. Now let's go find some shelter."

Regina and Emma both agreed, and, together, the three of them started to walk down the main street.

"So, how are we going to get back to Storybrooke? What's the plan?" Emma asked as they walked, looking at both Regina and Snow.

"I don't know, yet, I've never - " Regina began, though her words were cut short when, out of nowhere, they were thrown back onto the concrete by a strong force, knocking the wind out of them.

When they looked up to see what it was that had pushed them down, their eyes were greeted by the ghostly, and frightening figure of none-other than _Cora Mills_ , who was looking at them with keen eyes and a devilish smile drawn from her red lips. "Oh, my bad."

"M-m-other?" Regina said between breaths, the force having knocked all air out of her. She tried to regain her breath, but the surprise of seeing her mother was preventing her. She knew the moment she realized that they were in the Underworld that her mother would find her, sooner rather than later. Her mother always had a way of reuniting with her, and, just as Regina had suspected, here she was, again.

Cora looked different here, not surprisingly. Regina expected she would, but, still, it was a chilling experience to see her mother in this state: with pale, white, cold skin; lifeless, empty eyes; faded brown curls; and a black pantsuit covering her body. The only color she wore was the dark, red smear that was painted over her lush lips. She smelled heavily of roses.

"Regina," Cora smiled, "And Emma and Snow White, too. Here you all are - It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

"Cora," Emma said, sharply. Her eyes moved back and forth between the spirit before her and Regina. Emma knew the kind of power Cora could sway over her daughter - she'd seen it back when Cora was alive in Storybrooke - and Emma was going to do whatever she could to prevent that from happening again down here. She wouldn't let Regina be taken under Cora's grasp again. Not after all the progress she's made. "If you try and make one move," the woman said, holding up her hands, like she was about to use magic, "I'll blow you away."

The elder woman laughed. "Oh, please, Ms. Swan. You and I both know there's no magic down here, so why don't you put your hands down?" She looked over the three of them with amused eyes, "Besides, I only wanted to see my daughter." She looked back at her daughter.

" _Well, would you look at what the cat dragged in_ ," snarled another voice from behind. Cora rolled her eyes as Regina, Snow and Emma turned around to see a snickering Peter Pan perched up on top of one of the storefronts, grinning down at them with crossed arms. "I'd never expected to see you three down here. At least not so soon, that is."

They remained silent.

"What, nothing to say to an old friend?" he smiled again and jumped down from the building, somehow landing just in front of them. "Maybe I should get a little closer. . . Tell me, did you bring Henry? I want a friend to play with-"

"That's enough, Malcom," Cora demanded, annoyed with his behavior.

"It's Pan," Pan corrected, looking at the lady who had spoken to him, "Peter Pan."

"Leave us. Now," Cora ordered, ignoring him. "Go."

He shook his head, though complied, disappearing with the blink of an eye. "Yes, your majesty," he mumbled as his figured faded away.

"That's much better. He's such a pest," a grin formed from her lips once more as she looked at them, "Well, where were we, my dears."

"Mother," Regina spoke, this time more firmly than before, "What do you want? Why are you. . . here?"

"I already told you: I wanted to see you, my love."

"I don't believe that for a second," Snow said, catching Cora's attention. A slight shiver went down her spine as the lady's eyes fell upon her, just like it always had when she was around Cora, even as a little girl. Snow had always been afraid of Cora, and, now, speaking up to her like this, took courage. "There's always some hidden motive with you."

"Oh, precious Snow," Cora said, as motherly as she could, "You've always been a bit confused," she paused for a second and looked again at all three of them. "But, come, we'll have much more time to talk later. We should go indoors - I overheard you a moment ago saying something about shelter, and I have the perfect place for you to stay. Follow me."

Regina, Emma and Snow looked at each other. Under any other circumstances, they wouldn't have dared to take another step closer to the deadly woman, but, things were different. They were in the Underworld, powerless. They really had no choice - Cora would've forcibly taken them anyway. They might as well go. . .

* * *

As they walked along the streets, following Cora's lead, it felt odd to Emma, Snow and Regina. Time here was strange - at one moment, it felt like they were racing through it, and then, the next moment, it dragged on and on, as if they were barely moving or weren't even at all. It played with their minds, as they struggled to keep up with the slow moving lady. Their walk felt like it took a hundred years and, yet, simultaneously, also felt like a few seconds long.

"Time is different here than in any other realm," Cora said, noticing their confusion, "Especially for the living - though they're a rarity down here. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

The streets they walked were much like ones they'd seen when the had first arrived in the Underworld: just like the ones in Storybrooke, though a destroyed version. And it seemed like everything was there, too. They passed Granny's - which appeared to be abandoned and run-down, infested with bright, white spirits. They passed the Charmings' apartment building, which was ruined and in flames, and in the distance, behind them, they could see Gold's Pawn Shop, too. Interestingly, though, there wasn't a scratch on the building. In fact, it looked just like it did back in the land of the living.

Suddenly, they came to a stop. They were now in a neighborhood of some sort, standing in front of a large, white, black-shuttered house with large, green, finely-trimmed hedges. Unlike the rest of what they had seen, this building wasn't in ruins or destroyed. It was in perfect condition. It was Regina's house.

"This, is my-" Regina started.

"Your house," Cora finished, "Yes, it is. It's an exact replica."

"Is this where you live?"

"Oh, no, of course not. You'll be staying here," Cora shook her head, "I live at the palace. My palace." She motioned to a large, towering, black fortress that could be seen looming on the horizon off in the distance. Somehow Regina, Snow and Emma hadn't noticed it before, though now they did. "That is where the queen lives, after all," Cora continued.

"Queen?" Snow asked, "You're the queen?"

"Why, yes, dear," Cora replied, as if it were obvious. That's when they noticed a shimmering, ebony diamond tiara placed carefully atop Cora's bun of hair. "The queen of this land, that is. _I'm the Queen of The Underworld_."


End file.
